Her dream is a mystery in boxes of books

Anne Saller, 77, bought Book Carnival, a bookstore that's been in existence for about 30 years. She reopened the Orange shop on Sept. 1. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of 3

A fellow merchant in her shopping center welcomed Anne Saller as the new owner of the Book Carnival bookstore in Orange. Saller said she's always wanted to own a bookstore. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

1 of 3

Anne Saller is retired and has bought the Book Carnival bookstore in Orange. Her shop specializes in suspense and mystery authors. Hers is a collectibles store, featuring author-signed, first edition hardcovers. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Anne Saller, 77, bought Book Carnival, a bookstore that's been in existence for about 30 years. She reopened the Orange shop on Sept. 1. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Living the dream.

The reward for years of working toward the good life.

Being in control and controlling what you love. Touching it. Sitting in the space. Breathing in its just “being there” and being in control too.

You can see the dream-come-true joy in Anne Saller’s face.

She’s been an escrow officer with her own company; watched it slide away in the 1995 recession. She headed the accounting office for Mater Dei High School for 15 years, saving her money but not touching her retirement.

She wanted her dream – on her own terms.

“It’s not a mystery,” she says, with a bit of a giggle.

Ah, but mysteries are what it’s all about. At 77, Saller has become the new owner of Book Carnival, a used-book store in Orange that specializes in signed and rare editions of mysteries.

She loves the puzzle, the thrill of suspense, the awe of words she can hold in her hand – words that can transport her to places far away.

The back of her store is full of book boxes, still not opened and sorted. In the six weeks since she’s owned the shop – launched 30 years ago by the late Ed Thomas – she and her granddaughters have cleaned the cases, sorted the inventory, assessed the future.

So far, the future looks good.

Michael Connolly, author of many thrillers, will be at the store at 11 a.m. Oct. 18 to sign his new book, "The Reversal." Other prominent mystery authors have already contacted her about similar appearances.

“This is a store for collectors,” she says. “Some of the signed books have been known to bring huge value – if you were lucky enough to identify Sue Grafton as a future winner when her first books were published, you could have a rare first edition. It could be worth as much as $2,000.

“But it’s the thrill. The excitement of owning a first edition. Of maybe meeting the author. I can’t explain it. You have to be a collector.”

As if on cue, the door opens and one walks in. A man who browses for about 15 minutes, picks out a book, pays and leaves. But as he walks out, he calls, “You’ll see me again!”

Saller is a longtime follower of the mystery genre. She spends holiday time each year at Bouchercon, conferences for mystery writers and fans held worldwide. They talk about important things like cadaver sniffing dogs and unexplored crime scenes.

“That’s where I meet the authors,” she says. “The old and famous and the new and upcoming.”

Saller’s shelves at Book Carnival are not yet overflowing.

“It takes time to unpack, to sort,” she explains.

Her WiFi isn’t working and she is furious, in a quiet and ladylike way. “We are a new business and you are hampering our growth,” she tells the telephone company agent in a calm voice. “Many people think the store closed when the original owner died. It’s important to let them know we are here.”

She hangs up and sighs: “They think I am just a woman.”

Just a woman. Gray-haired. Slim. Energetic. Attractive but looking her age.

She starts to give me a list of authors and books to read on my Kindle. The electronic devices don’t faze her. “People who love books will buy them because they just love to own them,” she says. “Owning a book is a different experience from reading it.”

“It’s the awe of something created that I can hold in my hand,” she says. “And I’ll admit it. I love it when they keep me guessing whodunit.”

She has plans. She’s rubbing “dark fantasy” off the door sign describing the store’s specialities. She won’t be carrying books about vampires. Too limiting, she says.

She will be opening a children’s mystery section. Author-autographed children’s books about the Hollisters and Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys from the past, as well as the new ones written today.

Living the dream at 77. How many years left?

“It doesn’t matter,” Saller says. “Inside, I’m still 39. I don’t see any sense in quitting. I’m not going to sit down and watch the grass grow.”

She’s not going to sit down at all unless it’s to turn the pages of a book that begins with a just-discovered grave – maybe the unknown grave on the backside of some large Southern plantation where the eldest daughter went missing 110 years ago after she (maybe) got pregnant and was about to give birth to a mixed-race child despite being pledged to marry the son of an English earl who was related to the family through a family-tree that went back beyond the Revolution to the time of Henry the Eighth when another daughter was impregnated possibly by an high clergyman in the Roman Catholic Church who was opposing the King’s decision to sever ties with Rome…..

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.